Society daily: 23.02.10

Top Society news and comment Baby P council "improving," says Ofsted Sure Start staff will be first to opt out and form co-operatives, say Tories Cameron launches Tory plan to curb out-of-town developments Prisoner early release scheme to be halted Laura McGinty: the National Trust is not just for the middle class All today's Society stories Other news • Judges, lawyers and children's charities are watering down legislation designed to open up the family courts to the media , reports the Times • Parts of the Crown Prosecution Service in London are in "near meltdown," claims the Independent Preview: Wednesday's Society Guardian supplement Eleanor Brazil, the manager brought in to rebuild confidence at Haringey council following the Baby P tragedy , reflects on the challenges she faced in reforming children's services in the borough. Erwin James interviews Phil Wheatley, the outgoing head of the National Offender Management Service. David Brindle takes a forensic look at the future of adult social care. Jane Dudman argues that progress in getting more women and people from minority ethnic backgrounds on to public sector boards is still far too slow. The cost of re-offending What is the financial cost of keeping severely mentally ill offenders in prison? Billions, says a report published today by Laing and Buisson . "Waiting in the Wings" argues that although roughly 3,200 offenders had a mental illness severe enough to require hospitalisation in 2007, less than half that number were transferred to a more appropriate secure healthcare setting. Treatment in a secure unit does not come cheap – £283,000 for an 18-month stay. But proper psychiatric care, the report says, will reduce both the likelihood of re-offending and the severity of any new offences committed. The net savings to society of supplying appropriate psychiatric care, it claims, is £626,000 over the lifetime of each prisoner transferred. Had all the 2008 cohort received proper treatment, the report concludes, the collective cost saving would be £1bn. Society Guardian events Family Futures conference 2010: what's next for services supporting children, young people and families? London, Wednesday 24 February. Speakers include: Dawn Primarolo, Claire Tickell, Tim Loughton, Sue Berelowitz. Managing New Realities 2010: integrated places – health, housing and social care for the community. London, Tuesday 2 and Wednesday 3 March. Speakers include: Lord Warner, Sir Bob Kerslake, David Halpern, Polly Toynbee. Society Links Sign up to Society daily email briefing Society on Twitter SocietyGuardian.co.uk Public: the Guardian's website for senior public sector executives Get ahead: the Guardian's public and voluntary sector careers page Hundreds of public and voluntary sector jobs Email the SocietyGuardian editor: [email protected]